


Deliverance

by Kimber_Prime



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Brothers, Character Death, Feels, Genocide Route, Loss, Love, Regret, Sad Papyrus, Sad Sans, Sadness, Sans Remembers Resets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-08
Updated: 2016-06-08
Packaged: 2018-06-07 03:34:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6783529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kimber_Prime/pseuds/Kimber_Prime
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sans has watched his brother been killed over and over at the hands of the human. It's time for change.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Realisation

*SLASH*

Sans watched on as the knife came down, killing his brother for the 152nd time. 

Despite his warnings Papyrus had again tried to befriend the human instead of staying away. He shouldn’t really expect anything else considering he’d tried to warn him every time, but in his soul he always hoped that things would be different. That maybe this time, he’d actually listen.

A foolish thing to wish for he knew, but Sans had given up hope that the human would ever change. 

He waited till they walked off before heading down to where his brother had been.

Sans stood there, looking down at the scarf when he realised something. He hadn’t felt anything when his brother had been killed.

Every time his brother died before he'd felt pain, despair, hatred, or at least something along those lines but this time... nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Had he felt anything last time? Or the time before that? He couldn't remember.

That scared Sans more than anything had before. He didn’t care if his brother died anymore? How had he let himself come to this?

He hated himself for what he had, or hadn’t, felt. He couldn’t let this happen, he loved his brother.

Sans knew he had to do something, had to somehow change what was happening over and over.

He couldn’t afford not to care anymore.

Everything suddenly faded to black. “Human’s resetting early...” Sans mumbled to himself. Usually they didn’t reset till after they’d killed him or got tired of being killed themselves.

Sans closed his eyes and waited for the reset to take effect.

[](https://postimage.org)   
[picture host](https://postimage.org/)


	2. Change

Opening his eyes Sans was back in his bed, staring at the ceiling. This time, things will be different he told himself. This time, Papyrus will survive.

“SANS!” Papyrus’ voice cut through the silence as he stepped through the door. “GET UP YOU LAZY BONES! WE NEED TO GO RECALIBRATE OUR PUZZLES! WHAT IF A HUMAN COMES THROUGH TODAY!?”

“Papyrus, can you come in here for a minute?” Sans asks his brother.

“NYEH? OF COURSE BROTHER!” Papyrus replies and walks in.

“Sit down with me bro” he says patting the bed beside him. Papyrus walks over and sits down, a concerned expression on his face.

“I need you to listen to me Papyrus and do what I say. No, don’t interrupt” Sans says holding up his hand as Papyrus is about to ask him a question. “It’s not going to make sense and that you’ll have questions but the less you know the better”.

He takes a deep breath before continuing. “A human will come through here today, but this is not a friendly human. They won’t go along with your puzzles, they won’t try becoming friends with anyone, and in fact they’ll kill everyone”.

“BROTHER, I...”

“No, Papyrus. I know what you’re going to say. You believe that everyone can be good if they really try, and despite what I’m telling you I know you’ll want to go to the human and prove me wrong anyway”.

Papyrus is shocked by what Sans says, but quietly waits for him to continue.

“I need you to stay away from them Papyrus, and I need you to actually do it. Don’t promise me you won’t and then go do it anyway. I can’t lose you again!” Sans had started crying by now and his Papyrus embraced him.

They sat in silence for a while before Papyrus spoke.

“SANS, I DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY YOU ARE SAYING THIS OR WHAT YOU MEAN WITH LOSING ME ‘AGAIN'. BUT IF THIS IS SO IMPORTANT TO YOU THEN I’LL DO IT. I STILL BELIEVE THAT EVERYONE CAN CHANGE, BUT IF THE FEAR OF ME GOING OUT THERE IS WHAT’S MAKING YOU SO SCARED AND SAD, THEN I PROMISE I’LL STAY AWAY”.

“T-thanks bro” Sans said as he gently pulled away.

“BUT BROTHER” Papyrus adds, “IF THIS HUMAN IS SO DANGEROUS WE CAN’T JUST LET THEM WALK AROUND CAN WE?”

Sans knew that Papyrus was right. The human still needed to be stopped.


	3. Warning

"Papyrus, I need you to gather everyone in Snowdin and take them towards Hotland" Sans told him. "Stop by Undyne on the way; she'll be able to help you get everyone to safety"

"B-BUT WHAT ABOUT YOU? WHAT WILL YOU BE DOING?" his brother asked with confusion lingering in his voice.

"Someone needs to warn the monsters that live outside of Snowdin towards the Ruins bro. We can't just leave them behind".

"THEN WE'LL DO IT TOGETHER!"

"Heh, I wish we could Papyrus but there's not enough time. We have to be fast."

"B-BUT I..."

"It's alright Papyrus" Sans said, interrupting his brother and giving him a wink. "I have my shortcuts after all. I'll be fine".

"WELL.... ALRIGHT THEN" he replied doubtfully. "BUT YOU BETTER CATCH UP TO US QUICKLY".

"Of course I wouldn't leave you with a skele-ton of worry on your chest Papyrus".

Papyrus groaned at the pun but stood up and headed for the door, Sans closely following.

"I'll see you soon in Hotland alright?" 

"YES BROTHER, BUT PLEASE HURRY." Papyrus responded with worry in his eyes.

Sans gave his brother a nod before heading out the door, towards the ruins.

He went straight for the Ruins first, ignoring all the other monsters. There'd be time to get them to safety afterwards. The lady in the Ruins however, Queen Toriel as Sans knew she was called by now, was always one of the first to be killed. She had to be warned quickly.

Taking his shortcuts he got to the door within minutes and he hadn't tired himself out too much. He knocked as loud as he could manage and waited for a response.

"Please answer..." Sans whispered quietly.

Soon he could hear footsteps approaching from the other side of the door.

"Who's there?" A voice recognised very well asked. He could hear the smile in her voice; she was expecting a knock knock joke.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have time for jokes right now. This is serious." Sans replied. "Can you open the door? You need to come with me right now".

"You know I don't leave the Ruins, I-"

"There's no time, I'm sorry" he interrupted as he teleported to the other side of the door, took hold of a startled Toriel and teleported back outside.

"W-what is the meaning of this?" She asked, confused about what had just happened. "You can't just force me to leave my home, there is a child who needs my care in there!"

"Toriel, that is your name right?" Sans asked, recieving a small nod in return "I'm Sans by the way. I know you're confused, but I need you to trust me on this alright? You can't stay in the ruins right now. Everyone is evacuating."

"Why?"

"A h-" he hesitated "a monster is killing everyone, and so everyone is being evacuated to the Hotlands".

Sans knew that Toriel had heard the hesitation in his voice, and she wasn't convinced.

"Look" he continued while looking straight into her eyes. "I know it's very sudden, and you don't want to leave but do you trust me enough to believe me?"

She remained silent for a few seconds, avoiding the skeleton's gaze before letting out a sigh. "Alright Sans, I do trust you. However I can't just leave the child all alone in my house, They need someone to take care of them."

"I'll take care of the kid alright? I can get around the Underground much easier than most as you've probably noticed. You need to get yourself to Hotland."

"It's been a while since I've been out here, I'm not sure I remember the way"

"Keep going down this path" Sans said as he pointed towards the area his sentry station was in. "You'll run into the dog guards who can lead you".

"Alright then Sans. Will you meet everyone else in Hotland?"

"You can count on it. I'll catch up to everyone shortly."

"Take care"

"You too".

He watched for a few seconds as she walked down the path before teleporting away.

There was no point going back into the Ruins. Toriel already knew about the child so it was too late for the other monsters living there. He'd have to try warn as many others as he could.

He found Gyftrot near the Snowdin door as well as a few Ice Caps admiring each other's hats, all of which were sent on their way. It would be uncomfortable for the ice monsters over in the Hotlands, but it would be better than being killed.

Sans was exhausted by the time he'd checked every area in front of Snowdin, and Papyrus would have cleared everyone between the town and the Hotlands by now. Taking a deep breath he teleported to Waterfall, the biggest distance he could manage at the time.

Suddenly a figure he recognised appeared out of the gloom ahead of him; Monster Kid.

"Hey Kid, what are you doing here?" he called out. "Everyone is supposed to be gathering in the Hotlands, not going back towards Snowdin".

"Yo, I-I was just following Undyne. After everyone got to Hotland Papyrus went back to find you and Undyne followed him and-"

Sans had stopped listening at this point, his sockets going dark as realisation hit him. 

Papyrus had gone back to Snowdin, back towards the human.


	4. Haste

Sans was running back towards Snowdin, leaving a confused Monster Kid behind him as he took every shortcut he could manage.

"No, no, no, no, NO, NO!" He chanted to himself in increasing volume as he went. Why would Papyrus go back! He said he'd come to him in Hotland! 

He didn't really have to ask himself that, he knew why Papyrus would come back. He always worried so much about Sans, so of course when it took Sans a while to gather everyone he'd come back to make sure his brother was alright and try help if possible.

While running he spotted Undyne at some point below him, trying to get to Snowdin as fast as she could as well, but the winding paths were slowing her down considerably. She would come too late.

Using another shortcut Sans lost sight of the warrior and kept going.

When he finally reached the outskirts of Snowdin he was exhausted and on the point of collapsing, but what he saw up ahead made him freeze.

Papyrus was standing in the clearning ahead facing away from Sans, and the human was aproaching.

Sans started running again as fast as he could manage, catching small snippets of Papyrus's conversation as he ran. "-REAT POTE-, -RAIGHT AND NAR-"

"PAPYRUS!" He tried yelling out, but the wind was coming from the wrong direction, carrying his voice the other way.

Suddenly he realised he wasn't going to make it in time. He could hear Papyrus start saying that one sentence he always said before the human attacked...

"I, PAPYRUS, WELCOME YOU WITH OPEN ARMS!"

Screaming internally a fire sparked in his soul as he called up his magic one final time. He was not going to watch Papyrus die again, he refused! He was determined to save him!

Sans teleported to his brother as the knife came down.

*SLASH*


	5. Consequence

Papyrus was frozen, his gloves covering his sockets as he kneeled in the snow. The human had struck out at him...

He should have expected it, Sans had even warned him about it, yet he thought he could get the human to change anyway... 

He suddenly realised that he could feel no pain. Had the human missed? Had they stopped at the last second?

Opening his sockets his face reflected terror as he saw what was before him.

"H-hey bro..." Sans said to Papyrus, red liquid seeping through a cut across his jacket as he collapsed to the ground.

"SANS!" Papyrus yelled as he caught his brother is his arms, sobbing vigourosly. 

"T-THIS IS MY FAULT!" He said between sobs as they shook his body, holding Sans tightly against him. "I-I DIDN'T LISTEN TO YOU!"

"I-I don't blame y-you bro" Sans replied, trying to give his brother a smile but instead tears started rolling from his sockets. He could feel his body start turning to dust, his single HP point gone. "I-I should have k-known that you wouldn't st-stay away".

Looking up Papyrus could see the human simply standing there, watching on silently, no emotion expressed on their face. When they saw Papyrus looking at them they stared back for a few seconds before turning around and walking away, towards Waterfall, away from the scene before them.

"SANS... WHY? WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!" Papyrus asked looking back at his brother.

"I-I was sick of w-watching you die. I h-hardly felt it anymore, and that s-scared me. I didn't want t-to stop caring about whether y-you lived or d-died." It was becoming hard for Sans to speak.

Papyrus could see the edges of his brother's face begin to fade, he was falling down.

"S-SANS, P-PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME..." Papyrus sobbed.

Sans gave him a small smile. 

"I- I love you P-Pa...pyr...u...s..." 

A single tear from Papyrus's cheek fell down and landed on Sans, scattering him to dust in his brother's arms.


	6. Epilogue

Papyrus walked up the hill in silence, carrying a bag and a small bouquet of blue flowers with him. No one else was around in the dimming twilight.

Undyne had offered to come with him of course but he'd refused. This was something he had to do alone.

He came to a stop when he reached a small flat space with cliffs and bush surrounding most sides, a stone in its center.

Kneeling in front of the stone he read the inscription:  
Here lies Sans  
xxxx-201x  
Beloved brother and friend

"H-HEY BROTHER" Papyrus said. "IT'S ME, PAPYRUS. A LOT HAS HAPPENED SINCE..."

Papyrus stopped for a minute to wipe away a tear that was rolling down his skull and to compose himself before continuing. It had been almost a year now since 'it' had happened.

"ANYWAY, AS YOU CAN SEE WE'RE ON THE SURFACE NOW. THE HUMAN'S SOUL WAS FOUND JUST BEFORE THE ENTRANCE TO WATERFALL. NO ONE KNOWS WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM, BUT KING ASGORE USED THEIR SOUL TO BREAK THE BARRIER AND SET US FREE."

Papyrus sat down next to the tombstone and looked up at the sky. It was quickly becoming night and the stars were starting to appear.

"REMEMBER HOW WE USED TO LOOK UP AT THE CEILING IN THE UNDERGROUND SANS? ALL THE HOURS WE'D SPENT LOOKING AT THE STONES IN WATERFALL... THE STARS ARE SO BEAUTIFUL OUT HERE, JUST LIKE YOU SAID THEY WERE. I-I W-WISH YOU COULD S-SEE THEM YOUSELF..."

Papyrus had started crying softly, but he simply kept wiping the tears away.

"ANYWAY, WE ALL LIVE HAPPILY NOW ON THE SURFACE. ASGORE, TORIEL, UNDYNE, ALPHYS, METTATON AND MYSELF ALL LIVE TOGETHER IN A LARGE HOUSE NOT TOO FAR FROM HERE. THAT WAY I CAN ALWAYS COME VISIT YOU!"

He sat in silence for a moment, just starting up at the stars above him, thinking back to the times he spent with his brother.

"I- I MISS YOU SANS!" he suddenly broke out sobbing. "I MISS YOUR STUPID PUNS, I MISS YOUR LAZINESS, AND I MISS SPENDING TIME WITH YOU!"

"PLEASE COME BACK SANS! PLEASE!"

"COME BACK..."

Silence returned, the only sound that could be heard was the chirping of the crickets, and the quiet sobbing of the skeleton brother.

He let himself cry until there were no tears left to cry, after which he moved to the front of the tombstone again.

"I DREAM OF YOU EVERY NIGHT AND IT ALWAYS FEELS SO REAL, LIKE YOU'RE STILL HERE WITH ME... KINDA MAKES ME WISH I WAS AS LAZY AS YOU ALWAYS WERE, SINCE THAT WAY I COULD SPEND MORE TIME WITH YOU..."

He paused for a second.

"I REALLY MISS YOU BROTHER... BUT I KNOW THAT YOU WON'T COME BACK... I'LL DO MY BEST TO STAY STRONG LIKE YOU ALWAYS WANTED."

He let out a sigh before continuing. "I CHOOSE THIS SPOT TO BURY YOUR DUST SINCE WE'D BOTH AGREED TO SPEND OUR FIRST DAY ON THE SURFACE TOGETHER WATCHING THE REAL STARS, AND THIS IS THE SPOT I FIRST SAW THEM..."

He reached over and grabbed the items he'd carried up the hill with him.

"I BROUGHT YOU SOME THINGS SANS. I KNOW YOU USED TO LOVE THIS OLD THING SO I THOUGHT YOU SHOULD KEEP IT". 

Reaching into the bag he pulled out a blue hoody, the one Sans always used to wear. It has some loose stiches which needed fixing and was in need of being washed with ketchup stains covering the front, but Sans never bothered with either of those things so Papyrus had left it as it was. He'd folded it up neatly though, and placed it in front of the tombstone like that.

"TORIEL ASKED ME TO GIVE YOU THESE" he said as he lay the blue flowers on top of the hoody. They had a beautiful white center and gradually became a dark blue towards the ends of the petals.

"GRILLBY ALSO GAVE ME SOMETHING FOR YOU". He took out a ketchup bottle from the bag and placed it next to the other items. It was Sans's favourite brand that Grillby always made himself.

"EVERYONE MISSES YOU TERRIBLY SANS, BUT I MISS YOU MOST OF ALL... WHEREVER YOU ARE NOW, I HOPE YOU ARE TRULY HAPPY, AND ONE DAY WHEN I FALL DOWN I WILL GET TO SEE YOU AGAIN."

Papyrus stood up, a faint smile appearing on his face.

"NYEH, I GUESS I REALLY AM SANS YOU NOW RIGHT BROTHER?"

Tears flowing his sockets, yet with a smile on his face, Papyrus walked back down the hill, looking back only once.

"I'LL SEE YOU AGAIN. BUT FOR NOW, BE YOUR LAZY, PUNNY SELF WHEREVER YOU MAY BE".

"I LOVE YOU BROTHER. THEN, NOW, AND FOREVER".

Sans was gone, but would never be forgotten. 

\----------------

"I think the hardest part of losing someone isn't having to say goodbye,  
but rather leaning to live without them. Always trying to fill the void,  
the emptiness that's left inside your heart when they go."  
\- unknown

\----------------

END OF DELIVERANCE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well guys that is the end of 'Deliverance'. 
> 
> This story was in a largely inspired by these songs:  
> 'Why' from Rascal Flatts  
> 'Still Here' from Digital Daggers.   
> 'Please Don't Go' from Joel Adams  
> 'Jet Pack Blues' from Fall Out Boy
> 
> I highly recommend you give them a listen.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed it, and I will continue writing my other stories as well as starting new ones when I get ideas.
> 
> But wait, there's still one chapter missing? Stay tuned for one extra story where we answer the question: what happened to the human?


	7. Extra: Duality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened to the human after they killed Sans? How did they die? Why didn't they reset? Find out here.

"YOU" a voice suddenly spoke up from behind them.

Turning around the human could see a figure emerging from the gloom. They were dressed in a large black coat with a skull resting on one shoulder and a hood hiding their face. Whoever it was gave off a powerful aura, and their voice had an echoing quality to it. 

"WHY DID YOU DO IT!?"  
"How could you kill him...?"

The voices had spoken at the same time and came from the same figure, yet one voice was filled with hatred while the other was filled with sadness.

The human wasn't worried about them though. Taking hold of their knife they started to advance.

"TRYING TO STRIKE ME DOWN LIKE YOU DID HIM?"  
"You wish to kill me as well?"

The human kept walking towards the figure.

"DON'T COUNT ON GETTING A SECOND CHANCE WITH ME!"  
"You are making a grave mistake here"

The edges of the human's mouth curved upwards, the smallest hint of a smile appearing on their face.

"YOU THINK YOURSELF SAFE?"  
"You believe resets will save you?"

Their smile faded. This figure knew about the resets?

"OH, WE KNOW WHAT YOU'VE BEEN UP TO YOU FREAK!"  
"You can't hide it from us".

Doubt started to creep into the human's soul. Who was this standing before them?

"YOU STILL HAVE NO CLUE WHO YOU ARE FACING DO YOU?"  
"I suppose it has been a while since we last met."

Reaching up the figure took off their hood, and the human recoiled at the sight.

W. D. Gaster stood before them, but they were not the same as when they'd last met. One side of his face had an eye which glowed a bright blue with a tear running down their cheek, while the other eye was a wicked red and clear anger was reflected in it. 

"YOU SEEM SUPRISED FREAK."  
"What were you expecting?"

It was almost like each side of Gaster's face was a seperate entity; talking independantly, yet collectively.

"BEING TRAPPED IN THE VOID FOR SO LONG HAS HAD IT'S EFFECT"  
"We are one and the same, sorrow and hatred. One balancing the other, or one taking full control".

The human started to back away. This was a fight they did not think they could win. Suddenly a blue light flared around them and they were unable to move.

"GOING SOMEWHERE?"  
"We're not done with you yet."

They tried to struggle but could not break free of the magic. As they watched Gaster the blue started to become more dominant on his face, and soon all the red had faded.

"You killed my son" Gaster said while bending over the human, tears streaming down his cheekbones. "You took him away from me and from his brother and now you will pay. You may think that you can simply reset, but that will not be the case."

The human started to get scared now. They could stop the resets? How?

"Determination. That's what you've been using to control the timeline, to make everyone your play-thing for this whole time. The strongest force in existance." he said while looking down at the human. "There is however another power in play that not many know about."

"Tell me human, do you remember what Asgore did to you when you decided to show everyone mercy?"

They did remember. Asgore had shattered their mercy button with his trident.

"Being trapped in the void for so long caused my soul to become corrupted. This version of me is who I used to be, although I'm now filled with sorrow over what you did to my sons. First Papyrus over and over, and now Sans. The other is my corrupted half who feels nothing but hatred, which is directed towards you. One and the same, hatred and sorrow, combined into one. Sometimes he is in control, sometimes I am, sometimes we both are. 

"What you need to know about the corrupted half is that he has a power beyond you, or me, or anyone else. He can't reset since he doesn't have determination, but he can stop you from doing it ever again."

"Asgore's hatred of himself, of what he had done and was about to do, gave him the power to destroy your mercy button."

Fear was now flowing through the human, and Gaster could see it in their eyes.

"It was thanks to you that I finally got out of the void. Hatred became so powerful after you killed Sans right in front of Papyrus that he managed to escape to put an end to you, taking me with him".

Red was slowly starting to creep back into Gaster's face as he spoke.

"I had thought about letting you reset once more to bring back Sans before ending you, but I would simply end back up in the Void. I can remember the resets, buT my Other HalF caNNOT, sO I HaVE NOTHING TO GAIN FROM LETTING YOU LIVE A MOMENT LONGER!"

"NOW, YOU WILL PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID!"  
"I will protect my son from you!"

Suddenly the blue faded from Gaster's face altogether as hate took full control. The skull's eye on his shoulder opened, flaring bright red and staring straight at the human.

The reset button appeared before them, and they tried in vain to press it but they were still pinned down by the blue magic. 

Hatred raised his hand which started to glow a bright red as a giant skull materialised in the air behind him.

A Gaster Blaster the human realised, but this one was much larger than any Sans ever used. His were also never glowing red from their eyes.

Gaster closed his hand, causing the blaster to fire at full force right towards the human and the reset button.

The pain was excrutiating and their whole body felt as if it was on fire. They could feel their HP dropping like a stone.

Looking at the reset button their heart sank; it was starting to crack under the onslaught of the red magic. They watched it shatter into pieces as their HP reached 0.

Waking up they were on the save screen where they'd usually continue after dying, or reset when they wanted to, but both buttons were completely destroyed; the splinters on the ground were the only indication that they had ever been there.

Running towards them, they were desperate to try to fix it, but they could already tell that not all the pieces were there. It could never be fixed.

They were forever trapped on the save screen. 

Gaster watched the human's body for a few minutes as the red slowly faded from his face. Putting his hood back up, he let his head droop as he closed his eyes.

He'd finished what he'd come to accomplish, the human had lost their power to mess with the timeline and were forever trapped on the broken save screen. There was no reason to stay now. 

Going to see Papyrus in his current state was out of the question; he was much too unstable and he doubted his son would even remember him.

It was time for him to move on from this realm. He had fallen down long ago, the corruption of the Void being the only thing keeping him 'alive'. Now that he was no longer trapped down there he could feel himself starting to fade.

Looking up he saw the figure standing before him, a small smile on his face as stood there with his hands in his pockets.

"You ready G?" the figure asked reaching out a hand.

"Yes, Sans. I am ready".

Gaster took hold of his son's hand as they walked off together, slowly fading into the snow until they vanished completely, never to be seen again.

\--------------------

"We are all visitors to this time, this place.  
We are just passing though.  
Our purpose here is to observe, to lean, to grow, to love...  
And then we return home.""  
\- Unknown

\--------------------

TRUE END OF DELIVERENCE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was it guys! I hope you enjoyed it and I look forward to writing more stories!


End file.
